ADVERTISING PSYCHOLOGY

BY: ANUSHKA

Advertising has shaped our society. It has become part of the global culture and is deeply ingrained in our society. At present, people see roughly 5,000 ads per day. There are 5.3 trillion display ads shown online every year. Adults see an average of 2 million of those yearly. An average person is exposed to 

various mediums including radio, television, social media, and print ads or the ads that pop up when we browse and wait for a picture to load in a photography application. 

The psychology of advertising focuses on building empathy towards a product or service to help you become more inclined to buy or use it. 

The physical aspects of the ads we see — including people, images, and even colors — can influence how we relate to the ad. This, in turn, affects how we might feel about the brand or product behind the ad. 

NEED FOR EMOTION IN PSYCHOLOGY 

● Increases authenticity 

● Makes the brand personable 

● Fosters engagement 

● Creates entertainment opportunities 

● Increases memorability and effectiveness 

THINKING VS FEELING 

Emotion over Rational Content 

Ads are geared towards both thinking and feeling. However, the feeling seems to rank higher. Based on advertising campaign performance, 31% of ads with emotional pull succeeded versus the 16% success of ads that focused on rational content. Emotional response to an advertisement, rather than the ad’s actual content, produces great influence on the intent of a consumer to buy a product. 

Ads that trigger sentiments do so using different themes such as pride, love, achievement, man's empathy, friendships, loneliness or memories perform best. 

Two Types of Emotive Responses 

There are two types of emotive responses 

1. Empathy. An empathetic response is when a person empathizes with or feels close to, a brand after seeing an advertisement. This is achieved by showing images such as children, cats, dogs, and babies in ads. 

2. creativity. A creative response happens when an ad makes a person feel that the brand is ahead of the game or imaginative — a class all its own. This is achieved by perfecting the tone of the voice-over, proper casting, setting, storyline, and even the background music. 

To capture the audience, it is important to create surprise or joy right away. This will keep viewers involved and build an emotional rollercoaster, as this will most likely ensure that viewers continue watching a video due to the emotional ups and downs they experience.

OTHER ASPECTS THAT INFLUENCE 

cognitive psychology used in advertising 

Advertisers use cognitive psychology to influence our thoughts and convince us that we need to buy or use their product or service. 

2019 research suggests that ads often rely on memory to do this. By tapping into common experiences that people have, ads can help us recall pleasant moments in our lives — which we then associate with the brand or item the advertisement highlighted. (Furnham, A. 2019).

Principle of social proof: It means that when someone is unsure about something, they look to the people around them for behavioral guidance. Experts believe that people make decisions based on the people around them, whether they be in person or through a form of media. For advertisers, social proof is one of the common tools they use to help sell a product e.g. purchased something online because the influencer one follows claimed that it changed her life. It’s no wonder reviews are such an important part of the advertising space, especially considering 93% of consumers say that online reviews influenced their purchase decisions. 

Rarity: Creating a sense of scarcity is the most common way for advertisers to utilize this tool. They can do this by telling their audience that they only have a limited number of products, running temporary promotions, using the correct language to promote the idea of rarity, and more. The rarer a product or an experience is, the more desired it becomes fear of missing out or losing the opportunity for something only makes us want it more. 

Color: Colors promote different feelings within us. For advertisers, this is a great way to grab their customer’s attention. It is also a great way to promote certain emotions with their products or experiences. 

Yellow: Energetic, warm, happy, sunshine // unstable, irresponsible. Purple: royalty, ambition, wealth // mystery, moodiness Thus, fast food chains often use red and yellow in their branding – these colors are thought to stimulate appetite and create a sense of urgency. 

Liking: It’s easier to get someone to buy from a company if they first like that company. To use this tool, businesses must know their target audience, understand their likes and wants, and reflect those things in their brand messaging. 

REFERENCES 

● 2023, Thinking vs Feeling: The Psychology of Advertising, USCdornsife, 

https://appliedpsychologydegree.usc.edu/blog/thinking-vs-feeling-the-psychology-of-advertising ● 10 Things to Know About the Psychology of Advertising, Psychology degree guide, https://www.onlinepsychologydegree.info/the-psychology-of-advertising/ 

● 2020, Understanding the Psychology of Advertising, insights: Chicago school, https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/insight/psychology/understanding-the-psychology-of-adverti sing/#:~:text=Learn%20how%20psychology%20can%20help%20you%20sell%20smarter